insects

Maureen LoCascio, with the mosquito control team in Hudson County, N.J., uses a backpack sprayer to spread insecticide against mosquito larvae.

To Kill Mosquitoes That Spread Zika, Strike Before They Fly

6:07pm May 26, 2016

by Hansi Lo Wang

Cities and towns are preparing for mosquito season and the threat of the Zika virus by spreading pesticides. It worked for the West Nile virus but may not be as effective for controlling Zika.

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Science

WATCH: 'Robot Flies' Learn To Stick The Landing

5:07pm May 19, 2016

by Geoff Brumfiel

Researchers have created tiny robots that can perch on surfaces, which could someday make them useful for communications and surveillance.

Green when young, and about the size of an adult human's hand when full-grown, Dryococelus australis is more commonly known as the Lord Howe Island stick insect, or the tree lobster.

Love Giant Insects? Meet The Tree Lobster, Back From The Brink

2:33pm February 11, 2016

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

The 8-inch insect nearly went extinct when hungry rats overran its island. But Melbourne scientists found a few in 2001 and started a thriving colony. Now the San Diego Zoo is hatching them, too.

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Male treehoppers make their abdomens thrum like tuning forks to transmit very particular vibrating signals that travel down their legs and along leaf stems to other bugs — male and female.

Good Vibrations Key To Insect Communication

3:52pm August 27, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

For some insects, sound waves or vibrations are the real social media — high-speed rumbles sent through the air and along leaf stems to help the bugs claim territory, send warnings and find mates.

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Meal time for one species probably means sleepless nights for others.

Science

For This Tarantula-Killing Wasp, Dinner's A Meal Best Served Living

10:38am July 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

All the recent rain in Texas is great for insects — including the terrifying tarantula hawk. It's a big, nasty wasp that doesn't just sting tarantulas ... it turns them into food for its offspring.

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Unless there's a serious pileup, ants in traffic tend to bypass a collision and just keep going. A physicist has found a way to model this behavior with a mathematical equation.

Why Ants Handle Traffic Better Than You Do

10:52am June 24, 2015

by Joe Palca

Ants don't show road rage. In fact, some research shows they rarely get into traffic jams and are able to maintain a steady speed even as their numbers swell. Can physics explain it?

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N. gardneri mushrooms grow at the base of young babassu palms in Brazil. A bland tan by day, the fungi emit an eerie green light by night.

Why Some Mushrooms Glow In The Dark

3:29pm May 06, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists outfitted some fake fungi with LEDs and put them in a Brazilian forest to test their theory that light, not some funky mushroom fragrance, was luring bugs.

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Brooke Borel says bedbugs were essentially wiped out after World War II thanks to DDT. It's not totally clear why they came back in the past couple of decades.

The Creepy, Crawly World Of Bedbugs And How They Have 'Infested' Homes

5:36pm April 08, 2015

Brooke Borel's new book describes their history and how they hide, bite and reproduce. Borel, who has combated them herself, says an infestation "does mess with your mind a little bit."

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A scorpion fly perches on a leaf at the research farm where Lindgren studied the decomposition of human remains. Scorpion flies are among the first insects to visit a corpse.

Finding Crime Clues In What Insects Had For Dinner

5:41pm January 23, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Forensic scientists can find crime-solving evidence in the tiniest details, such as the insects that arrive at the scene to feed on the decomposing corpse.

Cooking With Cicadas: No Weirder Than Eating Cheese?

7:18pm May 29, 2013

by Maria Godoy

We know, eating bugs sounds strange, but 2 billion people already do it — and the U.N. has made the case for insects as a key protein source. For U.S. East Coasters, the coming of the 17-year cicadas provides an opportunity to cook with bugs. If you want to try your hand at it, there's a cookbook to guide your way.

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